> These words are hard to come by,as I contemplate the loss of not only a very inspirational person in my game,but more importantly,life in general. I first met Dennis at a tournament in Jackson,Tn,shortly after he relocated in the area from Chicago. The very next time I saw him,he started changing the way I looked at the game,by stealthfully killing me with a type of game I had never encountered,a pure bred billiard players type game,using way different angles than I had ever seen anyone use to achieve up-table position in traffic,kicking systems I didn't know existed,and the use of multiple strokes/deliveries to change the cue balls reaction. I came away very impressed,and lighter in the pocket to boot. Not long after that,we became inseperable for close to 5 years. In that time,we banged heads so many times I lost count,with him probably taking 60/40 the best of it. At his best,I felt like he had a fighting chance against anyone in the world in an individual tournament match,as he so rarely made a mistake to beat himself whe it counted. He didn't have an overpowering break,but it got better. He didn't have a great deal of shotmaking firepower,such as drawing his ball from long distance,and end rail thin cuts,but he never left these shots for himself. His forte was in getting exactly in line,and staying there,his directional accuracy must have been a byproduct of 3-C,when it came time to get perfect on a ball to break out a cluster,skip off a ball for position,use a ball to stop the cue ball,or play safe,he was right on,unless the table fooled him or he simply didn't execute the shot as planned. Overall,watching him was kind of like watching Buddy Hall,just not as polished or road-hardened. He had a huge heart and great concentration as well,making him extra tough in spots where it mattered,like late round tournament matches and for the cash. He was on the other end of my most embarassing loss,and the highest gear I've ever caught,both were invaluable lessons I thank him for. He was pretty quick to tell you when you did something wrong,and even quicker to tell you when you did it right,in pool and in life. Away from pool,he took as good of care of his family as he could,made many close friends,and was almost always laughing. My friend,your influence in my life and on my game can never be measured,and will not only be sorely missed,but never forgotten as well. Hit'em good up there,Tommy D.
